


Boar Hunt

by airdachuain



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Animal Death, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2015-12-01
Packaged: 2018-05-04 09:32:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5329250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/airdachuain/pseuds/airdachuain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two years since Merida’s coronation, she goes on a quest to kill a boar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Boar Hunt

It was raining. Nothing more could really be said about it, as it was a usual occurrence in Dunbroch. But everything seemed become relevant on days like this. Days that are not soon to leave one’s mind, at least not any time soon. The storm had something to tell everyone in the kingdom - their queen’s day was not going as planned.

 

“Merida!” someone called behind her. She couldn’t recognize the voice, but hell if she was turning back. No. Thankfully she had an excuse to throw out if need be - there had been a monster of a boar terrorizing the village. Originally she’d promised to take her men out to hunt the beast when the storm had cleared but… No. Regardless of the buckets upon buckets of rain, she would be anywhere but the castle until her skirts had been ripped and torn so badly from the wild that she’d have no choice but to return and replace them.

 

Today was a day for her mother to mourn her dress. Hell, she’d probably mourn for the dress more than she had mourned Father.

 

Merida cursed herself almost immediately as the bitter thought came to mind. She was better than that, thinking of her mother that way. They’d gotten too far.

 

Things had changed.

 

Her name was called again, and she doubled her speed, making way for the forest before the person chasing her got to her. While she doubted she could outrun any man chasing her on a clear patch of land, she was small enough to duck and twist and wind her way through any bush quicker than anyone she’d known yet. Just a few more paces and she’d be in the clear.

 

Unfortunately, a few more paces were all that was needed for her pursuer. Her elbow was taken, and she was yanked back.

 

“Ooch, easy there!” She immediately yelled, pulling her elbow close again. As she spun around to face the person, she swung her bow to warn them off, “Tryin’ to yank tha’ out of its socket?”

 

Her disgruntled face smoothed over as she realized who had followed her out into the rain. She snatched back her bow before it caused any damage.

 

“Macintosh,” she said, averting her gaze immediately. Merida tried to look as indifferent as she could, the same way she’d look if it had been Macguffin or Dingwall who’d followed her, but her voice had already betrayed her surprise.

 

The man looked sheepish, humbled by her outburst. After a moment to collect himself, he told her, “Come back to th’ castle. You’re no use to anyone sick as a dog in this weather.”

 

“I don’t need a babysitter.” She said, already stepping away, looking away, “Am going to hunt tha’ boar before it hurts anyone else.”

 

“Ye cannae-” Macintosh took a step towards her, but she twisted around and spat back.

 

“You. Can.  _Not!_  Tell me what to do, I am the queen!”

 

Even with the clouds casting darkness across the land, she could clearly see his jaw work, holding back any words that could upset her further. The lord leaned back on his heels, as if the land was rolling underneath him and he needed to find his footing. Finally, he gave one short nod, a bit of a sniff, and pulled his sword from his belt.

 

“If that’s what ye want, I cannae stop you. Am comin’ wi’ ye, though.”

 

Merida sighed, waving her bow vaguely, “No, just go back-”

 

“I willnae say a word if tha’s what you want. But…” He tilted his head to the side, his tone lightening, “It would be bad form to leave ye out there alone against a bloodthirsty pig.”

 

Her mouth bobbed for a second, angrily looking for a reason to protest, but she came up short. She finally gave in with a sigh.

 

“Alright. Fine.” Merida turned her back, and headed into the wood, “If ye can keep up, ye can come.”

 

* * *

 

True to his word, Macintosh kept quiet as they stalked through the bush. At first, she grumbled her way through the wood. Not because she disliked the wood, no no. She knew these trees like the back of her hand. She learned to walk in this woods, learned to fire an arrow. The tops of the trees kept the rain from soaking her through, and the ground was speckled with all the best hiding places. She couldn’t hate this forest even if she tried. Her complaints were with herself. How stupid could she be, letting Macintosh come along with her? Especially when he was the one she’d wanted to avoid. But eventually, she had to admit to herself that she was thankful he’d come along. Boar hunting was no easy quest, and the Macintosh region was no stranger to the little tusked monsters. While she didn’t know the lord’s own track record with killing boars, she could be confident in the tracking skills of a member of Clan Macintosh. Sure enough, within an hour’s trek towards the boar’s last appearance, Macintosh brought a hollowed trail in the undergrowth to her attention. Pigs, he explained, would routinely go over certain paths, making a rut in the ground. Once found, it made for easy pickings.

 

“S'only a matter ay keepin’ to the rut, and it’ll lead us to our prize.” He said.

 

“Back ‘fore supper, then.” Merida said, still studying the channel.

 

Macintosh huffed out a laugh, “Back wit’ supper.”

 

Merida couldn’t help but give a scoff of amusement at that. “Well, true, it’s-”

 

She turned her head, and cut herself right off when she realized how close they were standing. Chest to chest, almost. She could /see/ his breath catch as he came to the same conclusion. His jaw twitched again, holding back from letting anything out. Oh, but it was enough. Merida could tell exactly what was on his mind.

 

The same thing that was on hers since she’d left the castle in such a rush.

 

She sucked in a quick breath, and turned away, “Right!”

 

“Merida-”

 

“So, ahm…”

 

“Can I-”

 

“Let’s get ourselves a boar, sha’ we-?”

 

“Merida, please!”

 

She stopped at that, hearing how desperate his voice became. The queen gave a small sigh, squeezing her eyes shut. She took it back. It was a bad idea to let him come along. She should’ve sent him back while she still had the chance. Now there was nowhere to run.

 

“La'er, alright?” she said firmly, “Later, we can talk. I don’t-”

 

“Want to?” Macintosh’s voice was hard, suddenly, just as frustrated as she was by the situation.

 

“ _Yes_!” she hissed, turning back to him, “Yes, exactly, I don’t want to! Because I don’t want to think about ye, not like tha’!”

 

Macintosh recoiled, looking as if she had struck him physically. She may as well have. God knows it would’ve hurt less. Her snarl dissipated as the guilt set in. There was barely any room for it in her chest, not with the rage and her own hurt that was rearing its head.

 

It was not with malice but with desperation that she bared her teeth and went on, “Ye kidnapped my brothers, an’ if not fer me they would be  _dead_. Ye rebelled against me when fer  _once_  I needed someone in my corner, an’ now-! Now, ye come to my chamber door at loom o'morn, tellin’ me ye-!”

 

The words got stuck in her throat. She couldn’t say it - she wouldn’t say it. If she were to say it, it would become all too real. For now, it was simply a waking dream, something to twist her stomach with dread and hope and even more dread because she can’t hope. If it became real, everything she’d buried in regards to him would come crawling to the light and break through the wall she’d put. She had buried her vindictiveness, but she had also buried other feelings.

 

Macintosh was her advisor now. He had to remain that way, because the line between love and hate was simply too thin, too fragile. He could be nothing more than a Macintosh.

 

“I’m sorry.” He said. Merida didn’t doubt it for a second. His face was a painting of pure tragedy. His regret had made a home far closer to the skin than she’d suspected, because despite all his attempts to remain collected, he looked simply wrecked, “Merida, I am so… so sorry. I know I can’t say anything, can’t do anything, to ever undo what I’ve done in th’ past. It is somethin’ I’ll regret for the rest of my life. But I… I can try to do right by ye, an’ believe me when I say, ‘at will be my intent 'til the day I die.”

 

She held her jaw as tight as she could, trying to stop her lip from wobbling. She believed him. Oh, she believed him. She wanted just the opposite. She wanted to continue to see the brat of a boy she’d met all those years ago. But the lord before her was no boy. He’d grown into a man, a man who’d given up a crown and defended her against her father’s murderer. A man who’d stood by her side ever since and became her closest ally in the never ending politics of the kingdom.

 

All this time she’d trusted him because she had to. Clan Dunbroch had no heir aside from her. If she were to die tomorrow, he’d be the one to take the crown. She had to trust that she wouldn’t wake up each day with a dagger to her throat.

 

He was asking more of her now, and she wasn’t sure if she could.

 

Her mouth felt as if it was full of water, but when she opened her lips, it was words that came tumbling out, “I don’t know what to do. How do I know it’s not a trick?”

 

Merida swallowed nothing, and went on, her voice getting steadily louder, “How do I know you’re not messin’ with mah head, how do I know that this-”

 

“Merida-”

 

“-innit just you trying to take over the throne-”

 

“Merida, look out!”

 

Macintosh grabbed her, practically tackling her to the side. She landed on her back, the wind knocked right out of her. It was from this sideways angle that she saw what he’d pushed her out of the way from.

 

A massive boar had charged for the pair of them, and was twisting around to make another go for them. Macintosh stepped forward, brandishing his sword to challenge it. The beast grunted and squealed, its tusks scraping the bark clean off a tree as it turned.

 

Merida hastily scrambled back, realizing that her bow had disappeared underneath the leaves scattered about. She cursed, swiping at the earth to find it.

 

“Mah bow, Macintosh, I cannae find mah bow-”

 

She looked up as she heard her lord let out a battle cry, and the boar let out a shriek. Macintosh was facing the beast alone, and had managed to slash at its snout. It tossed its head this way and that in a frenzy, parrying Macintosh’s next swing, and aiming for his ankles. Merida’s search became frantic, feeling more and more hopeless as the fight went on.

 

Finally, though, her fingers closed around the smooth wood of her weapon’s handle. She pulled it to her, a smile prepared to grow on her face, when Macintosh cried out again behind her - only this time, it wasn’t the same fierce roar. This sound was agony.

 

She twisted her head to look, her hair flipping over her shoulder. Macintosh was lying on his side, clutching at his leg. Between his fingers, she could see the dark red seeping through. The boar had gotten a hit on him, and it was a good one. Not that Macintosh hadn’t gotten in a good one. The beast was swaying heavily, but snorting up a storm as it swiped at the forest floor with its feet, preparing for one last fatal charge.

 

“Macintosh!” she yelled.

 

It got his attention, as well as the animal’s. It took no effort at all to redirect, heading right for her. Her hand flew behind her back, searching for an arrow to nock. She pulled one forward, got it into position, and aimed.

 

The arrow flew… and stuck itself just under the skin of the boar’s back. Not enough to kill, but enough to send it into berserk hysterics. It squealed and kicked, running right for her. She only had her bow. If it got close enough, she didn’t have much to stop the animal from running through her with its tusks. She held the wood like a club, and smacked the top of the boar’s head with a  _THWACK_. It dazed the creature, enough that it hesitated and shook its head to clear its focus. It was then that her ankles were nicked, and she hit the ground.

 

That was a fatal mistake. The boar hesitated, not realizing it had gotten the better of her. She tried to take the moment to grab another arrow, or crawl away, but her indecisiveness gave the pig time to get its bearings. It threw its head back with a squeal, and started forward for her.

 

That’s when it was run through by a blade, pinning it right to the ground.

 

Merida gave a little shout of horror, not expecting the pig’s death. Her hand slapped over her mouth to cut off the sound. All she could do for a long time was just stare at the creature, the thing that’d nearly killed her right there. Finally, she lifted her gaze, and made eye contact with Macintosh.

 

He was breathing heavily, wincing as he shifted from foot to foot. His hands were red with his own blood, and when she looked down she could see it trickle down his leg.

 

“Ye alrigh’?” He asked.

 

Merida pushed herself up on her elbows, “Am I alrigh’ - are  _you_  alrigh’?”

 

“You’ve bin hurt.” He pointed out as he pulled his sword from the beast’s back. He cleaned the blade on both sides with the side of the pig, and stepped closer to her. She didn’t have to think about it as he reached out for her - or she reached out for him. It may have been both at the same time, but nonetheless Macintosh pulled her to her feet, keeping his hand on her hip to keep her steady. Her own free hand moved up to his shoulder, grasping at his fur cloak.

 

“Thank you.” She said, watching his face as he glanced down at her injury.

 

“ 'Course,” Macintosh murmured, “Cannae leave th’ queen to die.”

 

“No. I mean…” Merida’s throat worked as she tried to manage the words, “Fer what ye said, earlier. Tellin’ me… tellin’ me tha’…”

 

Macintosh’s face softened, and an understanding smile touched his lips. Quietly, he recited for her, “I have been by yer side fer two years now, my queen. There’s bin politics an’ there’s bin battle, yet ye rule this land wit’ more skill and grace than I ever could have imagined from anyone, an’ with more love to give than anyone could ask. If you’ll let me though, I will give ye a kingdom’s worth of love in return, fer that’s all I’ve wanted to offer ye fer so long now.”

 

Merida’s eyes were brimming with tears. She didn’t know what to say. Well, she could think of many things, most of them about how ridiculous she must’ve looked. She even sputtered out a laugh at her own expense, wiping at her eyes with a knuckle.

 

“Yes. Am… ha. Ye ken what ye said.” She wiped at her eyes again, and nodded. She couldn’t help the smile that grew on her face, “Yeah, I wouldn’t mind that.”

 

Macintosh’s face split open in a smile of his own, “Yes?”

 

“Yeah. Well, I mean, we’ll have a lot to explain to folk when we get back. An’ my mother, whew, cannae wait to get started with-!”

 

Merida’s rambling was cut off as her lord swept in, covering her mouth with his own. She mumbled against his lips for a second before she relaxed into him, her eyes slipping shut. Her arms moved to wrap around his neck, bumping her bow against his back. She heard his sword clatter on the ground, and realized he dropped it to hold her closer.

 

She pulled back though, her gaze dropping, “Ah, yer leg, we should-”

 

“I’m alright, Merida,” he murmured, nudging his nose against hers, “S'long as ye are, I’m alright.”

 

Her mouth fumbled around the next set of words, suppressing a sheepish smile. She was going to have to work on not being a hopeless fool every time he said something like  _that_. She raised her eyes again, green meeting sky blue.

 

“Let’s go home, Mac.”


End file.
